Halfords free battery check

bobbybuttons

Anyone used this service free Halfords battery check.
My car has intermittent starting issues and it's either the starter motor or battery I think.
I believe it's original battery on it.
Citroen c1 2012.
Tested with meter, reading 12.5 and 14.5 with engine on which I think is ok 🫤??
Might go and get it tested In Halfords but don't want to be conned into buying a new one being a lady they might try it on.
Starts perfectly fine 90% of the time .

01642

Them readings are fine. For the battery maybe when the cars been stood a few days see if the voltage is still 12.5 to double check it can still hold 12.5 ish

facade

If it is really over 10 years old then it will be a miracle if you don't need a new one 5 to 7 years is a normal lifespan for a battery.

There are plenty of places that sell branded batteries much cheaper than Halfords. Halfords own brand always used to be Yuasa with a label on.  Yuasa are made [not very well, I had one where the weld leaked] in Ebbw Vale not Japan like you think.

(don't let them charge you to "dispose" of the old battery, they are paid £5 or so for them. Tyres they have to pay to dispose of, not batteries)

Goudy

Those readings don't look to bad for volts, trouble is you need plenty of amps to start an engine and to test for those requires another type of test and tester. You can have enough volts but without the amps, nothing is going to happen.

Halford use a digital tester but I don't know if they test the amps at all or that well, it usually takes different bit of equipment than a normal multimeter, as that would burn out.
To test for amps the battery is usually "drop tested".
No not thrown out of a window but a special tester puts a load across the cells and feeds back the amps.

I would hazard a guess Halfords will try and sell you a battery anyway, they usually do if you ask for one of their tests.
You might be better popping around to your local garage and asking them if they can test the amps, it quick and simple.


You don't say what sort of intermittent starting issue you have, but generally low batteries no longer cause the starter and engine to turn with a slow whur whur whur on modern cars.

They tend to click click click rapidly from behind the dashboard as there's not enough power to active the starter motors relay when you turn the key.

If you could let us know if what it's doing, that might help.

bobbybuttons

It sort of makes a clunk as I start to try won't do the turning over sound the car sort of rocks the car like it's almost about to start but not quite. Leave it a bit and a few mins later it starts up with a bit of moan with whur whur whur no clicking . The dash lights all go off .
It's just so random. Never has issues starting first thing  

daveyjp

Sounds more like a sticky starter motor.

Goudy

Weak and failing batteries don't usually get better the more you crank on the starter, they get worse.
So it starting up after you've flogged it over a few times without it starting doesn't point to battery from here.

bobbybuttons said:

It sort of makes a clunk as I start to try won't do the turning over sound the car sort of rocks the car like it's almost about to start but not quite. Leave it a bit and a few mins later it starts up with a bit of moan with whur whur whur no clicking . The dash lights all go off .
It's just so random. Never has issues starting first thing  

So it clunks, spins up the starter but doesn't catch and turn the engine over.
Then after a few minutes you try again and the starter motor catches and turns the engine over?

If so, that's the starter motor not engaging. Probably due to a broken Bendix spring.

oldagetraveller1

I would prefer their battery tester has a results print out function. Hopefully they do use a dedicated test device.

Probably difficult to "doctor" one to show convenient "fail, new battery needed" results.

A good device should show state of health, cranking amps, internal resistance etc., and the ability to carry out charging efficiency and cranking efficiency etc..

oldagetraveller1

"Probably due to a broken Bendix spring."

Really, is this 1960? I thought modern starters, even 2012, would use a solenoid for pre-engaging the pinnion rather than the old inertia Bendix gear? "Prince of Darkness" Bendix below.

Ganga

What happens when Halfords condemn the battery fitted to the car and a couple of weeks later it start doing the same ,i would find a decent auto electrician to test and find the fault ,might be starter motor ,might be battery or alternator or fan belt or a combination of all.

Goudy

Maybe not a Bendix these days, I guess I'm showing my age!
But the solenoid will have a return spring to pull it back after power is cut.
Without that working it would have difficulty engaging and disengaging.

Funny enough, there appears rather a lot of starter motor replacement videos on Youtube for the C1, Aygo and 107 and there are over 5900+ listings on Ebay for 107 and 1400+ for the C1 for that part.
I would guess it might be a common issue.